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Emre Can
Emre Can (born 12 January 1994) is a German footballer of Turkish descent who plays as a midfielder for Liverpool. Liverpool career After the 2013-14 season ended, there were reports that Liverpool wanted to boost their midfield options with the addition of the promising German talent Emre Can. Also able to play anywhere along the left flank, Can primarily operates as a defensive midfielder. On 5 June 2014, Liverpool announced that they had agreed a deal in principle with Bayer Leverkusen for the transfer of Can, reported to be for a fee of around £9,750,000. On 3 July 2014, the deal was confirmed with Can signing a long term deal. It is thought Liverpool also had to negotiate with Bayern Munich to settle the buy-back clause the German giants had on the youngster. Club manager Brendan Rodgers spoke highly of Can, saying that "Emre is an exciting young talent and I'm delighted he's chosen Liverpool for the next phase of his development and growth as a player. He has recognised that we are a club that improves and nurtures exciting, ambitious players and I'm looking forward to seeing him take those next steps forward for us." Soon after signing, Can's popularity took an early boost as reports emerged on social media that he had donated £50,000 to the Alder Hey children's hospital in Liverpool. On 6 July 2014, Can announced on his official Facebook page that he will wear the number 23 shirt during his time at Anfield- the number famously associated with the recently retired Liverpool icon Jamie Carragher, with Can stating that it is an honour to wear Carragher's number. Can made his non-competitive debut for the Reds on 19 July 2014, starting Liverpool's 2-1 friendly win away to Preston. Can produced a series of impressive performances in Liverpool's 2014-15 pre-season before going on to make his competitive debut for the club as a second half substitute in their 3-1 away defeat to Manchester City on 25 August 2014. Injury forced Can to sit out a number of matches, however he returned to make his first competitive start for the Reds on 19 October 2014, playing 66 minutes in Liverpool's 3-2 away win over QPR. After being selected to play in Liverpool's Champions League clash against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu on 4 November 2014, in which Can produced an acclaimed display despite a 1-0 defeat, Can retained his place in the team for the Reds' Premier League clash at home to Chelsea on 8 November 2014. In the ninth minute, Can netted his first Liverpool goal with a long range strike that deflected in off of Chelsea centre back Gary Cahill. Liverpool however went on to lose the match 2-1. Despite his performance against Chelsea, Can subsequently struggled for game time. He made a rare appearance on 17 December 2014, coming on as a substitute in Liverpool's 3-1 away win over Bournemouth in the League Cup. On 26 December 2014, Can came on as a second half substitute as part of a back three, and performed well in his new defensive role as the Reds beat Burnley 1-0. Rodgers praised the performance of Can and suggested his influence in the team would "grow" as the season progressed. Can retained his place in Liverpool's defensive over the winter period, and garnered much praise for his performances. On 4 February 2015, Can's performance in Liverpool's 2-1 win away to Bolton in the FA Cup was met with wide acclaim. With Liverpool 1-0 down and facing elimination, Can moved into a more advanced role and was influential, notably lofting a ball over the top of the entire Bolton defence to put Raheem Sterling one-on-one with the goalkeeper to level the tie. Can also saw a fierce long range strike tipped onto the crossbar by the fingertips of the keeper. On 4 April 2015, Can was sent off for two bookable offences in a 4-1 defeat at Arsenal. Can began the 2015-16 season on the bench, only coming on as a substitute in the opening two games. He made his first start of the season on 24 August 2015, playing in the centre of midfield away to Arsenal, and putting in a decent performance. On 23 September, Can scored a paneka penalty in the League Cup shootout against Carlisle, with the Reds coming out as winners. A week later, Can made his 50th appearance for the club, starting at centre back in a 1-1 draw at home to Sion. On 22 October 2015, Can started in midfield in fellow German Jurgen Klopp's first home game in charge of the club, a 1-1 draw with Rubin Kazan. Can scored the equaliser, poking home after Divock Origi headed down to him inside the box. Stats Can Can